It occurs to me that Dehlin's views may be warped by the position he occupies. In addition to the podcasts he has done, he has probably had additional private conversations and email interactions with untold numbers of persons who express doubts, uncertainly, unhappiness with the church. Perhaps hundreds of people. He has also probably had hundreds (thousands?) of people thank him for what he does.
After years of that kind of thing, pretty soon you start seeing the Mormon world via the eyes of the people who surround you. You start to inflate your own importance. You start tilting at windmills. You feel like more of a target as you enter the spotlight. You become more defensive, aggrieved. Maybe even more emboldened. "No one else is saying this, I didn't really mean to end up here, but here I am. I'm a good person. I'm honest. Thus my enemies must not be good people, nor honest."
And that's how Dehlin winds up roasting marshmallows with apostate Mormons talking about how he has shepherded many more people out of the church than he has kept in the church.
His context is warped, and I'm afraid, it is has led to his views being warped as well.
This is perhaps a generous take on Dehlin. The truth might not be so generous.
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